How to Take Revenge as an Academy Scoundrel

Chapter 11. The Plan

– Clank! Zing!

—

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting shadows that danced in the twilight,

Kim Do-jin finally closed the front door and stepped into his dorm room, pulling a small puppy from his pocket.

“Woof?”

The puppy sat quietly on his palm, gazing up at Kim Do-jin, who then made his way to the bathroom nearby.

“Time for a wash, huh?”

After a year of battling monsters in the cracks of reality, the little creature was in dire need of a scrub.

– Swoosh…!

Fortunately, the puppy’s temperament was the very definition of calm.

Even as the water poured down, it remained unperturbed, displaying an intelligence that allowed it to lift its legs and turn its body as needed during the wash.

‘Smarter than I expected. Among the beings I know, it might just rival that gorilla, ‘Caesar’…’

With such thoughts swirling in his mind, Kim Do-jin meticulously scrubbed every inch of the puppy’s fur.

Time slipped by unnoticed.

“All done.”

After drying off the last droplets with a hairdryer, Kim Do-jin set the puppy down before him.

“Now, return to your original size.”

The puppy, clever as it was, understood the command and soon expanded its form with a flicker of psychic energy.

– Woof!

In an instant, a soft glow enveloped the puppy, and it grew to the size of a fully grown Shiba Inu.

“So, this is your true size. Want to try getting even bigger?”

Typically, those who wielded the power of ‘body shrinking’ could also harness the ability of ‘body enlargement.’

After all, if one could shrink and then return to their original size, wasn’t that, in essence, a form of enlargement?

Thus, it was common to view ‘body shrinking’ and ‘body enlargement’ as two sides of the same coin, and indeed, the puppy was capable of the latter.

– Woof!

Soon, the puppy’s form astonishingly grew even larger, surpassing Kim Do-jin himself.

Its length reached an impressive three meters, nearly filling the living room.

“Whoa…”

Kim Do-jin let out a gasp, impressed by the puppy’s magical prowess, though he still felt a twinge of disappointment.

After all, there was the legendary ‘Reinhardt Röntgen,’ the world’s greatest ‘body enlarger,’ who had once grown to the size of a thirty-story building.

If this puppy could achieve such a feat, what a formidable companion it would be!

‘Alright. I’ll need to help this little one grow its magic over time.’

Kim Do-jin organized his thoughts and then ordered the shrinking again.

“Woof!”

The puppy shrank back to its original size, and Kim Do-jin suddenly found himself stroking his chin in contemplation.

“But what should I name you?”

Now that they had become family, it was time to bestow a name.

“Hmmm….”

After a moment of thought, a word slipped from Kim Do-jin’s lips.

“Paul….”

It was the name of his former companion, derived from the English word “fall,” which meant autumn.

Though long departed from this world, he hesitated to give the same name again.

This puppy was, unlike his previous dog, a female.

So… the thought of “Winter” suddenly crossed his mind.

“Winter?”

As soon as he called her by the name, the puppy seemed to respond with a joyful reaction.

Her ears perked up, and she approached with a wide-open mouth, tail wagging.

“Do you like it?”

“Woof!”

It seemed she was quite fond of it, so there was no need for further deliberation.

“Alright. From now on, I’ll call you Winter.”

With a satisfied expression, Kim Do-jin scratched Winter’s belly and glanced at the clock.

It was already 9:30 PM.

Thinking he might watch the news before bed, he turned on the television.

But then.

[Next news.]

A report currently airing made Kim Do-jin furrow his brow.

[Edward Ronan, chairman of Ronan Industries, regarding the recent merger…]

The owner of ‘Ronan Industries,’ the world’s leading company in the field of magical science and technology, was Edward Ronan.

He was a genius scientist and awakened one, praised by people around the globe for developing and distributing the ‘Portal’ system.

However, the wealth and fame he enjoyed were not truly his own.

The ‘Portal’ system, hailed as the greatest invention of the magical science era, was originally a research project that Kim Do-jin had been secretly pursuing.

However, it was Cheon Sang-seok who lured Edward Ronan, and as a result, Edward Ronan concocted a poison for Cheon Sang-seok that would temporarily evaporate Kim Do-jin’s mana.

He had promised, in exchange, to seize all the research achievements of the deceased Kim Do-jin for himself.

‘Look at that smug face, the little b*stard…’

Kim Do-jin let out a bitter smile, unable to tear his eyes away from Edward Ronan’s face on the news screen.

He was one of the humans perched at the very top of his death list, and he had already laid out plans for revenge.

Yet, he hesitated, wondering if his methods were too excessive, but in this moment, that hesitation vanished entirely.

‘He’s enjoying the wealth and fame that came from his betrayal, so he should also face the consequences of his failure. Don’t you think?’

With that resolve, Kim Do-jin prepared to drift into sleep.

First, he bought supplies like a doghouse and bedding from the convenience store to set up Winter’s sleeping area, then he intended to lie down in his own bed.

But then, at that moment.

– Thud!

Winter suddenly leaped onto the bed, overtaking Kim Do-jin.

“Ugh!”

Was it an invitation to share the bed? Winter shifted slightly to the side and curled up, leaving Kim Do-jin with no choice.

“Fine, fine. Let’s sleep together.”

Had Winter always been this affectionate?

In any case, it brought him a bit of peace.

Kim Do-jin stroked Winter’s soft fur and sank back into his thoughts.

It had already been two days since this reckless Kim Do-jin had possessed this body.

Contrary to his initially grim expectations, the situation wasn’t as dire as he had feared.

If he continued to grow stronger and exact his revenge, his true self would eventually return, and when that happened, everything would come to an end.

‘Yes. Let’s think as positively as we can.’

With that thought organized in his mind, drowsiness began to wash over him.

“…….”

Kim Do-jin felt Winter’s warm body and slowly drifted into sleep.

* * *

The next morning.

Awakening from his slumber, Kim Do-jin hurriedly showered and prepared for school.

Finally, as he opened the front door to step outside.

“Woof!”

Winter hung from the bridge, refusing to fall.

Was it because she had been trapped in the crack for over a year?

It seemed she despised being alone to an extreme.

But.

“No. Stay here and watch TV. I’ll be back by evening.”

I couldn’t take her to the classroom.

Naturally, ‘Arc’ only allowed pets to be kept in the dormitory.

Perhaps I could shrink her down and sneak her into my pocket, but did I really want to go that far?

With that thought, I ultimately shook my head and left.

Thus, I went to school, and the morning classes began.

Today’s morning lesson was none other than the ‘Obstacle Course Race.’

A massive exam where all 1,000 first-year students would compete simultaneously, determining who could complete the course filled with various obstacles the fastest.

“Any questions?”

The instructor, having finished the lengthy explanation of the rules, awaited inquiries.

‘Where is she?’

Kim Do-jin turned his head, scanning the surroundings.

This exam was purely individual, but that didn’t mean cooperation was impossible.

Thus, he sought a partner, and that partner was none other than Karla Arlen, renowned for her ‘Invisibility’ superpower.

‘There she is.’

Interestingly, her invisibility made her stand out even more.

In truth, her ability, which made her school uniform appear to float in mid-air, was of no use, but another of her powers was essential for this exam.

Of course, she would need Kim Do-jin’s abilities as well.

“Alright. Then everyone, move to the starting line.”

At the instructor’s command, nearly 1,000 students rose in a rush and moved.

Soon, they lined up before the starting line, each preparing their minds.

‘Three minutes until we start?’

The ‘Obstacle Course Race’ was one of the subjects with a significant weight in the first semester exams, and the tension was palpable on the students’ faces.

‘I need to score high here to make things easier moving forward.’

With that thought, Kim Do-jin weaved through the students and finally approached Karla Arlen from behind, calling her name.